Interviews

“And
Then There Were None“, the renowned #1 Best-Selling Mystery
of all-time, brings Agatha Christie’s thrilling storytelling to audiences
in a new medium with the first video game ever based on a novel by
the Queen of Crime.

The storyline follows 10
strangers who are invited to Shipwreck Island only to be accused of
murder in a recording from their absent host. Players take on the
role of a new 11th character, Patrick Narracott, the boatman who takes
the guests to the island, and ends up trapped there himself. Players
must solve the mystery and find the killer before they become the
next victim.

Lee Sheldon has been a
mystery writer for most of his career in three forms of media: computer
games, television and books. Before writing and designing “Agatha
Christie: And Then There Were None” for The Adventure
Company, Lee wrote and designed 16 video games including “The
Riddle of Master Lu,” “Dark Side
of the Moon,” and most recently worked on massively
multiplayer worlds for companies including Cyan (“URU:
Ages Beyond Myst“) and Disney (“Disney’s
Virtual Kingdom“).

1. As a mystery
writer did Agatha Christie have any influence on your own mystery
writing? What do you think of her writing and how would you compare
your stories?

Agatha Christie is one
of my favorite mystery authors. I’ve read every novel and story
she wrote under her own name. I think I’ve read or seen all of the
plays, too. I also own all of the David Suchet’s “Poirot”
and Joan Hickson’s “Miss Marple” that are out on DVD.
Over the years I’ve written many mysteries, especially for TV. My
first love is impossible crimes, so John Dickson Carr is another
favorite author (my first mystery novel has been compared favorably
to Carr). Christie wrote many impossible crimes as well. One of
my favorites is “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas.”
“And Then There Were None” shows up in Robert
Adey’s book on impossible crimes, too. I know as I write a mystery,
particularly when I’m concocting puzzles, and trying to play fair
with my audience, I ask myself “What would Christie do?”

2. Why was “And
Then There Were None (ATTWN)” chosen as the first title?

It’s a classic, one of
her best-known books, so marketing was a factor. The setting was
also a nice, and closed environment. In games we want to give the
player the illusion that he or she can roam freely through the worlds
we create. In fact there are always restrictions. Instead of artificial
restrictions like impassable forests, cliffs built like fences along
a road, or cities where you can’t enter any buildings, an island
gives us a natural obstacle: the sea. I also wanted to steer clear
of a Poirot or a Marple because they have their own very distinctive
styles. I knew I would have to mess things about a bit to make the
story fit the game. I felt more comfortable starting with a story
outside of their respective canons.

3. Can you tell
us a little bit about how this adventure game was created?

I adapted the story,
and even when a change was necessary, tried to stay within the spirit
of the book and its author. I took what dialogue I could from the
book (usually edited-games like other visual media tend to have
leaner dialogue). I wrote new dialogue. Thanks to television I’m
used to writing other people’s characters, so I hope it will be
difficult to tell where Christie’s dialogue ends and mine begin.
I also designed the game play, essentially everything the player
can do in the game. I handed over a 400+ page design document to
the developers, AWE Games. Since then I’ve been anxiously watching
over their shoulders. They’re doing a great job!

4. Coming from
a Hollywood background and as a mystery writer – how is writing for
adventure gaming different from writing a book or a screenplay -how
important is the actual writing in comparison to the visuals and the
game play.

For me the writing understandably
has been of equal importance to the other facets of the game. Since
I played computer games for years before finally being given a chance
to make one in 1994 I was aware early on that you must strike a
balance between story and game play. You also have to deal with
players who want to wander at will through the world and the story.
I’ve spent years developing techniques to tell stories in a non-linear
fashion better suited to games. With a game based on a novel like
“ATTWN,” I’ve had to restrict myself to a more
linear structure. Again I hope I’ve found ways to naturally restrict
the player based on the environment and certain devices like the
“film titles” I use to move the story forward.

5. “ATTWN”
is one of Agatha’s most tightly constructed books – How hard did you
find it to dissect? and What changes needed to be made to characters
or plot?

Not hard to dissect,
I think, because it is so tightly constructed. I had a mentor in
film school named Alexander MacKendrick (director of the original
“Ladykillers” with Alec Guinness, “The
Man in the White Suit,” and many more). Sandy showed us
certain classic movies over and over and over again until we learned
to see past the drama and find the seams that held each one together.

I have made some changes.
And I’m not going to reveal all of them! But I’ve added an 11th
character on the island: the boatman. He is the character the player
manipulates. Like everyone else on the island he has a secret, too.
I’ve expanded on certain character and historical references Christie
made only in passing in the book to create a more complete history
of the island and that stretch of Devon coastline. This was necessary
so I could build a somewhat larger island with more locations for
a player to explore.

6. “ATTWN”
is a well known title, how have you made the game challenging for
fans who already know the ending? Have you changed the ending?

There is much more for
players to discover. This includes many clues and some more developed
back story, so there is more for players to find. I’ve made several
other changes to the ending, too. The game has the potential to
conclude more like the book or the play version, depending upon
player actions. I also changed the identity of the murderer! I felt
this was necessary due to how well known the story is. I was most
worried about this when I traveled to England last summer to meet
the owners of the rights, a company called Chorion, and Christie’s
grandson, Mathew Prichard. I’m delighted to say they greeted my
solution with enthusiasm. Hopefully players will be as kind.

7. Do you need
to be computer-literate to enjoy this?

No. I’m not, and I designed
it! The interface is very simple. We’re still talking about how
much help we’ll give players in-game to solve the many puzzles that
are the backbone of adventure games, and certain other game challenges.
Whatever we finally decide there will be all sorts of help available
outside of the game. There may be a printed guide to solutions.
And the internet is always a good resource. There will be enough
information around that players could just follow that and never
have to think about a puzzle. I hope they don’t do that! Mystery
lovers in particular should want to solve the puzzles in the game
as much as the puzzles in the mystery.

8. What will a
true Christie fan get from this game?

A new look at an old
favorite. Players will be able to actually explore locations they’ve
only read about, or seen in a movie version. I can promise quite
a few surprises even for those who know the book cover-to-cover.
There will also be much fuel for discussion as canny players ferret
out even minor connections between the book and the game. Of course
I expect quite a bit of discussion about the “liberties”
I have taken. Fans should think of this game as a loving tribute
to one of the most famous mystery stories of all time.

9. What have you
enjoyed most about working on Christie?

Adapting a vision that
began life as prose. We’ve seen the film adaptations. Now here’s
one that is interactive; that actually takes our audience on to
the island where they can witness events first hand, change the
course of the story, and solve the mystery. To do all that, and
still be true to the original book was a fun challenge. I hope I
have succeeded in making it as much fun for others.

10. If you could
choose your next title what would it be and why?

Tough question! Every
time we have discussed this at DreamCatcher or Chorion or AWE Games
there have been many good ideas. The fact that there are so many
good stories to choose from is both a blessing and a curse. But
deep down inside I know if they ask me to do another one, I would
want it to introduce us to either a certain fastidious Belgian or
a little old lady from St. Mary Mead.

“Agatha
Christie: And Then There Were None” will be released
on the PC on November 8, 2005

To uncover more information
on “Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None”
please visit: www.AgathaChristieGame.com.